INNER MUSE
INNER MUSE
2022
Bronze,
W x L x H
8 ft x 2 ft x 2 ft
Laura Teste
INNER MUSE is a classic contrapposto sculpture. Standing at 8 feet tall, this bronze sculpture depicts an unknown muse in a moment of contemplative reprieve. INNER MUSE’s pose draws attention to the torso. The close alignment of the back of her forearms and wrists combined with the tightly gathered off-shoulder robe adds a modern element of symmetry and tension. INNER MUSE’s tautness contrasts with the relaxed stance of her marbled Greek predecessors. Testé said, “I started with Take Five as my maquette. However, my daughter who was my model convinced me from her Latin dance experience to reposition the ankle and knee of the raised right leg. The pose created mesmeric contours and was well-worth redoing weeks of work.”
INNER MUSE
It’s morning sun on a normal day,
The list of to-do’s start again.
A blank page to the left of me
Beckons words from my mind and my pen.
She says, “Let’s mine a vein of rhapsodies,
Let’s divine a river sublime.
With a kiss and a lick, Let us conga and kick
And dance cross these pages in time.”
Chair wheels worn down by busywork,
Scratch epigrams in the wood floor.
The ring stains and the watermarks
Unlock clues that I seek and search for.
She says, “Let us run free like a thoroughbred,
Let’s hold a wolf by its ears.
With the heart of a lion, and soul of a stallion
Let’s be bold and unchained by fears.”
Here here! the flotsam of my studio,
Has a lyrics and legends to say.
My inner muse sings and sets sonnets on wing
Each morning of each normal day.
